he time for an American hotel kitchen to switch to energy-saving ovens and ranges might not always be when it’s socially responsible. Changes usually come when it makes good business sense.

“Energy is money,” says Andy Mayeshiba, corporate executive chef, Alto-Shaam. “And it’s always a hard sell to get a customer to buy into any concept unless it’s going to save them time or make them money.”

“In the past, people wanted speed and power,” says John Lanning, director of marketing, Cleveland Range, LLC. “They wanted to cook it fast. Now they will accept slower performance for energy savings.”

European Embrace
European kitchens have already embraced energy-efficient technology, primarily because high energy costs have been a way of life there for years.

In the United States, reluctance to incorporate energy-efficient equipment until recently can be traced to:

• Higher up-front cost of energy-saving ovens and ranges.
• Perceived loss of power with energysaving equipment.
• Many years of affordable energy.

“It’s the same as when you buy a hybrid car. The savings aren’t the same when gas is $1 a gallon as when it’s $4 a gallon,” Mayeshiba says.

“Most Europeans define efficiency by heat transfer to a boiling pot,” says Joseph Guerrero, director of engineering and R&D, Jade Range, LLC. “We define efficiency American style: Turn tables, and get that restaurant moving.”

Flame On?
One antidote to high kitchen utility costs is to replace traditional cooking equipment with the energy-efficient alternatives below.

Induction Tops
Induction tops transfer heat directly from an electromagnetic current to whatever is placed on top of the ceramic-glass surface.

Pros: Heat is used only when there’s contact with a pot or pan.

“You’re not losing it to your exhaust system, and you’re not heating up the atmosphere,” says Marco Parisi, product manager, Electrolux. The heat created by the pan is transferring to the glass, and that’s all.”

Cons:There are concerns about durability in an American “turn-and-burn” kitchen environment.

“The European style of dinner hour is much different than it is in America,” says Jim Lombard, engineering manager, the Montague Company. “We force our restaurants to produce very high volume in a very short time, and we’re moving faster, so your chance for damaging equipment is much higher.”

Infrared Burners
Infrared burners focus the heat from a gas flame through tiny holes in a ceramic or glass tile and project very high temperatures over an even area.

Pros: Most of the heat generated radiates back toward the tiles instead of out into the air. Additionally, heat-up times are very fast, which means the unit can be turned off when not in constant use.

“A blue flame burns about 1,400 degrees. Infrared burns at about 1,600 to 1,700 degrees,” Guerrero says.

Cons: They are very expensive.
“A blue-flame burner costs about $7 to produce. An infrared costs about $100,” says Guerrero. “There won’t be a lot of chefs who will be able to buy that. It’ll get cheaper as we move forward and more people start using it.”

Combi Ovens
Combi ovens bring convection heat, roasting, steam, and smoking technologies together in one compact unit.

Pros:The energy use is similar to an induction top, where it’s only really “on” when operating. Newer models come with sleep modes that power down during long periods of inactivity.

“With traditional equipment, you turn it on, and it runs 12 to 14 hours a day,” says Vinod Jotwani, marketing manager, RATIONAL USA. “With this piece of equipment, you’re not wasting all that energy.”

Cons: Improper training on the use and maintenance of combi ovens can erase energy-saving gains.

Re-Engineered Gas Burners & Grates
When gas burners and grates are redesigned for energy efficiency, the flame and heat are focused in a concentrated circle inward, as opposed to out and away from the pot or pan.

Pros: More energy is focused on the cooking vessel with less heat escaping into the air. Additionally, fewer BTUs are needed to do the same amount of work as older models. They are also extremely durable and easy to clean.

Cons: An operation is still at the mercy of gas prices.

Ask The Chef
Hotel chefs want their food to taste a certain way, whether it’s a banquet for 2,000 or a busy Friday night at one of their in-house restaurants. Consequently, some chefs are reluctant to make the leap into energy-efficient cooking.

“The chefs tell us they want pizzazz, they want heat, they want showmanship, they want special features. We give them what they want, and they’re not asking for energy efficiency. We have owners that want that,” Lombard says.

“It’s difficult to change a chef who has been doing something for 25 years,” Jotwani says.

Hotel kitchens will probably never go completely flameless, but if high energy costs in the United States are here to stay, some changes we may see in the next five years include major utility companies offering incentives to purchase energysaving ovens and ranges and more Energy Star-rated ovens and ranges. Fisher estimates that could happen as early as 2008.

“The kitchen five years from now is going to be significantly more energy efficient than it is today,” Fisher says.